The latest issue of Vanity Fair isn’t even out yet, but the media is already abuzz about its racy photos of Disney’s latest it-girl, Miley Cyrus.
Miley, better known as “Hannah Montana,” is only 15 years old.
She sent a statement to usmagazine.com that said “I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be artistic and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarassed.”
A Disney channel spokesperson said ”a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines.”
Jezebel is saying Miley knew exactly what she was doing. Vanity Fair points out that her parents were on set all day.Annie Leibowitz said her photos are being misinterpreted. And it is a beautiful picture.
But here’s the thing. She probably did know what she was doing, and released that statement with some prodding from Disney. But at age 15, she is just beginning to explore her own sexuality. She does want to be seen as desirable; she has chosen a profession in which good looks are extremely important.
But just because she has free will, doesn’t mean she was not exploited. At magazine photo shoots, the subject is the center of attention. Dozens of older people, therefore authority figures mill around, each of whom has the similar goal of ensuring she looks beautiful. A 15-year-old is very unlikely to say no in this situation. She felt glamorous. She felt like was growing up, and she is. But she was too swept up in the moment to make an informed decision.
The most telling statement she made is from her interview with VF. ”I think its really artsy,” she said. “It wasn’t in a skanky way…. And you can’t say no to Annie. She’s so cute. She gets this puppy-dog look and you’re like OK.”
She could have stopped after explaining that the photo was artistic. But she didn’t. There was more to her reasoning.
She couldn’t say no. Putting all the responsibility on Miley is a common reaction in our individualistic society. We place value on internal factors (analytically making our own decisions.) But this is a prime example of the situational factors that affect people in social situations. Vanity Fair and Annie Leibowitz should keep this in mind, especially when working with children.
